Atef Najib

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Atef Najib (Arabic: عاطف نجيب; born 1960) is a Syrian former security official and head of political security in Daraa Governorate. A first cousin of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, he became infamous for being a catalyst for one of the flashpoints that ignited the Syrian civil war, when in 2011 he directed the abduction and torture of 15 boys who had written anti-Assad slogans in a public area in the city of Daraa. His aggressive actions prompted non-violent protests by local inhabitants, and—after security forces opened fire at a protest march—the gradual start of armed resistance. Upon the fall of the Assad regime, he was arrested by Syrian security forces in rural Latakia on 31 January 2025. On 29 April 2026, Najib was the first figure of the Assad regime to face trial in Damascus. He was subsequently sentenced to death on 11 August 2026.